A Great Man
by PeaceLightVictory
Summary: He knows he is dying. He always wanted to die floating in the Etherium somewhere. He never had ties to anyone. But he knew that one cabin boy would want to knowSilver leaves a message. Will Jim make it in time to say his last goodbyes? One-shot.


**Author's Note: Dedicated to Jona (August 10, 1994 -April 20, 2011 ). He fought a good fight, he has finished his course, he has kept the faith. ~2 Timothy 4:7 **

**OCs are mine. Don't own Treasure Planet or its characters.  
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><p>A Great Man<p>

The streets were busy as they always are in the early mornings of port towns. Wagons and feet rattled or clipped against the cobbled roads while merchants called out their wares. The sun beat down on the bustling town and the sky was a magnificent blue. Strange white, flying creatures soared overhead and made calls much like a seagulls. It seemed like the flying, featherless beasts were laughing at the swirling mass of people below them.

The mass of alien life bumped into each other as they milled about. Some when they bumped another did it accidentally while some did it intentionally - fingering a watch or a bracelet. Wealthy individuals turned up their noses at the raggedy folk plodding along beside them. Of course it would the aristocrats fault for not hiring a cabby.

Mixed in with the hustle and bustle were the high winds that caused white tarps on thick poles to snap and unfurl. Ropes tugged against their stays while flags whipped about in the wind. Individuals climbed up ropes and masts to go about their tasks. A few dedicated souls lowered themselves over the side of their massive wooden and metal vessels to wash or debarnacle the sides. Stenciled and etched words such as _R.L.S. Destiny_ or _Star Chaser_ gleamed after being polished.

Among the bustle of color, sound, and smells of the space port, a tall, heavy-set Ursid pushed his way through the throngs of town life. His tricorn hat was pulled low over his eyes, his hands stuffed deep inside his pockets. To anyone passing him by, all they could see different about him was the mechanical peg-leg - and if they were walking by his right side, then they would notice the strange mechanisms for a cyborg eye and earpiece.

He paused in his slow and steady gait when he reached the opening to an alley. Lifting his head up with a curious look, he swept his eyes over the crowd. Seeing no one or nothing to worry about, the Ursid shrugged his broad shoulders before stepping out of the sunlight and into the alley's gloom. He sidestepped a puddle and a pile of rubbage before stopping at a door. A large hand emerged from the pocket and he rapped the door with his knuckles three times, paused, then two more knocks.

A bolt could be heard scrapping out of its lock before the door opened a crack. Someone peered through the crack then tilted their head back to see the face of the towering Ursid. "State your business." The gruff voice demanded.

"John ta see Doc Billig." The Ursid replied in his own low voice. "He's x'pectin' me."

"Walden! Don't make the man stand out in the alley all day!" A booming voice shouted from within. Causing the short and hairy creature at the door wince and scowl.

Swinging the door open wide for the Ursid named John, Walden jerked his head as way of signaling admittance. "Doc's in the Smelly Room."

"I heard that, Walden! It is not the 'Smelly Room' as you have so termed it. It is my apothecary's laboratory!" The booming voice protested as John ducked the low door frame to enter the building. "Come on back John!" The Ursid followed the sound of the voice - which wasn't too hard to do - and the smell of something bitter. Ducking through another door, John stepped into a room with one large table standing in the middle. There were shelves of jars, books, and boxes. A fire was burning in a fireplace while an iron kettle bubbled and oozed with some gooey substance. Herbs and other plants hung from the ceiling - John had to duck to avoid those too.

A squat man - or creature - with red hair all over him and a bushy tail that twitched with his movements, shuffled from on shelf to another. Waving a tiny clawed hand, Doc Billig said, "Sit wherever is safest. I'll be with you in a moment."

John swept his tricorn hat off his head and looked around. His face was brown and wrinkled. Spying himself in a cracked mirror, John sighed wearily at what he saw. His face looked old. Much too old. What hair he did have sticking out from beneath the red kerchief tied around his head was graying. Finally, he turned his gaze away from the sight of himself and spotted a sturdy looking stool that he _hoped_ would be able to hold him up. With a groan and much creaking that could have been his bones or the gears in his cyborg leg, John settled down on the stool.

Doc Billig's pointed ears twitched atop his head towards the sound of groans and creaks. Turning around to stare at the Ursid, Billig's snub nose twitched - causing his whiskers to shiver and his round, rim-wire glasses to slide down his nose a bit. "So what seems to be the problem?" Billig wipes his paws on a green and black stained apron that's tied around his ample stomach.

John waves his cyborg hand. "Da usual aches and pains."

Billig uses one finger to push his glasses up his nose and lets his eyebrow quirk up in skepticism. "John Silver, you would not be here if it was the _usual aches and pains_." Approaching the Ursid, Billig lets his round eyes survey the cyborg. "What's really goin' on, friend?"

Reluctantly, John tapped his chest where his heart should be located. "Pain here lately. So much that a man can hardly breathe!"

"Hmm." Billig hums as he lifts John's good arm and holds the Ursid's wrist between his own paw. Billig digs out a watch from his pants pocket and stares at it. John watches intently as Billig frowns and stuff the watch back into his pocket. "Hmmm." Billig shuffles over to a drawer and pulls out a syringe. Now, John wasn't a squeamish man. He could take a lot of blood just fine and never flinch. He could stare down a pistol shoved right in his face. But needles - needles reminded him of doctors who decided it would be better to amputate then to let the patient die. Needles with drugs that don't always dull the blasted pain or numb the feeling of a saw going through a bone.

Billig doesn't notice - or he ignores - John's discomfort as he quickly and efficiently sticks the Ursid's arm before either can blink. Drawing enough blood for a test or two. The room is silent as Doc pours blood into a vial and mixes it with one powder then another. Another, "Hmmm." escapes Billig's lips before his ears flatten against his head.

John can't take anymore humming and he certainly does not like the almost defeated expression on Billig's face. "Why da sudden black hole, Doc?"

Billig looks up sadly at John then turns his gaze away. With a sigh, Billig takes off his glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose. "John - first, I want to say that you're not as young as you used to be."

"Dat's noting new." John chuckled sarcastically. "Now what da devil is wrong wid me chest?"

Billig continued as if John hadn't interrupted. "And you've been through a great deal physically. I'm surprised you've lived this long!" He laughed but it sounded forced. "Etherium knows you've cheated death a few too many times."

"Billig." John says in a dead serious tone of voice, "What's. Wrong. Wid. Me?"

Shoulders sagging in defeat, Billig shakes his head. "Old age, friend. Simply, old age. You're heart is giving out on you. I don't think you have longer than a month."

John's mouth drops open to gap at the miserable creature before him. _Dying? John Silver - dying!_ It was almost too hard to believe. He almost began to think he'd go on forever. Gathering his wits back to him, John snapped his mouth shut. "Well, can't I just get a new heart? Like I got a new eye, leg, ear, and arm?"

Billig shook his head vehemently. "You got those when you were younger, John! Stronger! Your body could take that kind of procedure back then. If you were to attempt such an operation now, you'd die on the operating table!"

John sat quietly, mulling over this information. He was dying. He didn't doubt Billig. Billig had been right many times before. What now? Sit around and wait until he keeled over? Not likely. Standing, John replaced his tricorn on his head. "Thank ye, Doc. Best be goin' now."

Billig shuffled over to John and placed a paw on the Ursid's large arm. "What'll you do, John?"

A bright grin, showing off a smile with a gap in it, lit up the large man's face. "I al'ays wanted to die while floating out in the Etherium. I got some o' dat money saved up from those 'ventures of mine. I'll buy a dinghy and just float on out of port."

"I truly am sorry, friend." Billig mumbled. "Are you sure you don't want to stay? I could make you much more comfortable - find you some lodgings somewhere, maybe even a nurse to keep you company?"

John shook his head. "I've lived for the stars, Doc. I'm gonna die with them swimmin' around me." With one last smile, John turned and exited the room. He waved to Walden who was sitting silently by the window which overlooked the busy street.

Billig exited his apothecary's laboratory and watched as John Silver disappeared out into the alley. Once the door clicked shut, he shook his head and sighed again. Walden looked away from the window and frowned. "He really gonna die?"

"I'm afraid so, son." Billig answered. "Everybody has got to die sometime. Even the legends."

~**Etherium**~

John Silver looked back at the fading planet as he sped away. He had stocked some supplies to nourish him while he wandered around in his dinghy. He wouldn't get very far in this old boat - but that didn't really matter. If he died of a meteor shower no one would notice - just like no one would notice him dying of a failing heart.

Pressing a button that would keep the boat on a steady course, John settled back so he could just relax. Gazing up at the stars millions of light years away from him, John smiled. This wasn't exactly how he picture dying. He always thought he would go down in a flame of glory. But dying peacefully out here - that would be fine too. He'd lived a long, full life. No regrets.

A frown crinkles his already wrinkled face. No regrets? That wouldn't be entirely accurate. He always said he would stop by one last time - check up. John sat up and reached for a knapsack buried beneath a blanket. Rummaging through its contents, he finally pulled out a leather bound book. Flipping the pages open, he lets his eyes scan down over newspaper clippings. His good hand reaches down to brush gently, lovingly over a picture of a young man in a crisp white uniform. The young man is standing straight and tall, an expression of stern discipline on his face while a woman in a regal looking dress and a crown on her head is pinning a medallion on his chest.

John smiles fondly down at the picture. He glances at some other articles. Some with pictures of the young man - some without. Shaking his head, John chuckles at one headline that says in bold letters, **Most Eligible Bachelor Royal Navy Hero To Wed!** Flipping the page, John stares down at a couple holding a baby and waving to the camera. The baby has the young man's eyes.

"No regrets, eh?" John sighs aloud as he shuts the book. Tilting his head back he stares up at the stars. "Oh, Etherium, how I miss dat lad." He wanted once to live his life and die with no ties to anyone! Now he was about to die and here he was thinking about the one tie he had. The one person in the entire universe who had found a soft spot in the Ursid's heart. John wondered if that young man still thought about him.

Eyes wandering back to the knapsack, John began searching its contents once more. He pulled out a metal disc and stared at it for a long time. He took a deep breath and let it out again. Flipping the disc over, he located a green button and pressed it.

~**Etherium**~

It was raining. But of course, when was it _not_ raining on the mining planet Montressor? Very rarely and the days it was not were to be cherished. However, the inhabitants of Montressor were not trapped there by the rain. If they so chose, they could leave for the space port where it was sunny mostly every day. Ferries weren't daily but they travelled just enough to be utilized.

One such ferry was docking. The captain was shouting over the rain his orders to the crew. He lifted a microphone to his lips and announced through it to his passengers seeking refuge down below, "Montressor! Mining planet, Montressor. Nearest lodgings is the New Benbow Inn just up the road."

The ferry tied down and the passenger began their hasty retreat up the hill. A human gentleman with brown hair and piercing blue eyes opened an umbrella before offering his arm to a woman with black hair who was carrying a sleeping boy in her arms. "Let's see if we can call Gregory from the inn." The man suggests as he leads woman and child up the slope. "But you know Mom will be more than happy to house us for one night."

The woman laughs. "I know she would. And I'd be more than happy to take her up on that offer. It's far too wet to be traveling. What if Johnny gets sick, Jim?"

"We won't let that happen." Jim answers the woman. "Here we are!" He opens the door for her and lets her step in first while he shuts the umbrella.

"Jim!" He hears the familiar cry as he steps through the door. Like hundreds of times before, a woman with brown hair and eyes comes running from serving an ugly alien woman her purp juice so she can throw her spindly arms around the man a few heads taller than her. "James Pleiades Hawkins! Why didn't you _tell_ me you were coming home tonight?"

Jim laughs, hugging his mother in return. "We meant to surprise you, Becky and me." He beams as his mom turns to wrap his wife up in a hug, being careful not to wake the sleeping boy.

"You must be tired and soaked! Come on back to the kitchen. B.E.N. will take care of the guests." Sarah Hawkins tugs her son and daughter-in-law into the warm and friendly kitchen which is blessedly silent compared to the chattering main room. Jim feels at ease and relaxes once he passes through the doors. His mom's kitchen was a sanctuary sometimes. Especially on days when the inn was packed and he walked in to see how she was doing. Jim could never sit well with being the center of attention - once he had craved it when he was a moody teenager. Then he had become a legend and a hero. Whispers wherever he went. For a while, he wished he could just be Jim Hawkins. With his family he could.

"B.E.N.! Good to see you buddy. How you holding up?" Jim pats the android on the back. The robot turns to look up with started blue-screen eyes before he erupts.

"JIMMY!" Metallic arms wrap around and lift the grown man a few inches off the floor. "Ahaha!" B.E.N. smiles only like he can. "I didn't know you were coming! Or - wait - did I? Did you send a message and I just forgot?"

Jim laughs and shakes his head, glad to be able to breathe again. "No, I wanted to surprise you all."

"I'd give you a hug too, B.E.N., but Johnny is sleeping." Becky apologizes.

"B.E.N. can take Johnny upstairs to bed before taking over the front." Sarah suggests. "Unless you're planning on taking him out in that storm." Her eyes level Jim with a signature 'mom-look'.

Becky comes to his rescue by handing Johnny over to B.E.N. and smiling. "We would love to spend the night. I wanted to catch up with you and let you know what's going on at the space port."

The three adults settle down after Sarah makes them all a cup of tea. Becky is rattling off all the latest news and filling Sarah in on more than just fashion. Jim watches with a pleased smile as his wife informs his mom about all the workings of the new alliance. His wife is brilliant when she gets in front of a group of dignitaries. He's joked several times how she has every ambassador wrapped around her fingers. Becky was just so good at being a beloved politician.

The topic of conversation strayed to Johnny and their trip to take him to see his daddy's new ship. Sarah then turns to Jim and smiles. "So what's your next assignment that you get this new ship?" Jim has to refocus on his mother's question - because he had been taking note of the new lines on her face and the streaks of white in her hair.

"Oh, I've been commissioned to go on another expedition for the queen." Jim answers, glancing sheepishly at his wife. "Johnny wants to come along so bad, I'm worried he'll stow away on the ship."

Becky laughs. "Well can you blame him? You keep refusing to tell him stories of you journeys and when he _does_ hear stories they're so convoluted that the idea of shooting pirates and getting caught in a Super Nova sounds like a _good_ idea."

Sarah frowns. "Why haven't you told him, Jim?"

"When the time is right - I will." Jim evades the question like he always does.

Sarah's frown and lines deepen but she doesn't press the issue. Her son is no longer a teenager. He's a grown man who has to make his own decisions. "So how long will you be gone?"

"Hopefully only a couple of months." Jim answers before lifting his cup for another sip of tea. He hesitates and gets an expression on his face that reads 'not-again'. "Morph. If you wanted something to drink or eat, you should have come out of my pocket and told me."

The liquid in his cup ripples before turning from brown to pink with eyes and a mouth. Morph laughs and chirps before flying up to lick Jim's face. Jim laughs and catches the floating blob so he can tickle Morph where he knows the blob likes to be tickled.

Sarah shakes her head in amusement. "I was wondering where he had gotten too."

"He still doesn't stray very far from Jim." Becky answers. "Johnny is always trying to get Morph to stay behind when Jim is away since Morph can look like Jim."

"Morph is just following orders from his captain." Jim murmurs as the shape shifting blob floats eagerly over to a cookie jar. And not for the first time, Jim suddenly clams up. Both women leave him to think - seeing the subtle change that both recognize whenever Jim thinks of _him_.

~**Etherium**~

It was late at night when the last guest ascended the stairs to go to bed. Sarah, Jim, Becky, B.E.N., and Morph had remained up until all the guests were gone. The group cleaned together, reminiscing of days when they had all worked together at the inn. Sarah talked about how the Doppler quadruplets were doing in high school and that Delbert would be speaking at another University soon. Amelia was on leave but would be out and about again as soon as the twins were born.

Becky was the first to go to bed. B.E.N. left to go reboot - and because Sarah had informed the robot that she wanted mother-son time with Jim. So now, it was just Sarah and Jim sitting at a table next to a window that she had switched the blinds to a peaceful night sky to cancel out the storm raging outside. Looking around at the clean dining room, Sarah let out a heavy sigh. "Seems like it went a lot faster tonight. Of course that was because you and Becky were here to lend a hand."

Jim watches her face intently. His eyes taking in the wrinkles and white hairs. "When are you going to retire, Mom?" His question has obviously caught her off guard. When she faces to meet his steady gaze, he doesn't break eye contact. "I'm serious! You're worn out and you don't have to live like this. Becky and I would be more than happy to take you in. Someone else can take care of the Benbow."

Sarah chuckles. "It's not so bad. Really, Jim, it's not. B.E.N. has been amazing and the eldest Doppler girl works full time here. Tonight I sent her home early because of the storm - that's all." A sad smile creeps up onto her face. "Besides, the Benbow is my life. It has been for years. I could never leave it. I know I have plenty of money on my own that I could live without having to work until the day I die. I know I could come stay with you and Rebecca but - I wouldn't be happy. I would adore spending a lot more time with Johnny and seeing you and Becky - but being the grandma who just sits around and does nothing - that's just not me."

"No, it certainly is not." Jim stares down at Morph who is happily munching on a cookie.

His mother's brown eyes search his face, her lips turning down again into a worried frown. "What I'm worried about is what Becky said earlier."

"What?" He lifts his head to look at her in confusion.

"About you not telling Johnny about Treasure Planet - or any of your exploits for that matter." Sarah watches as he looks away again - an expression of guilt and annoyance on his face. "Why not, Jim? He worships the ground you walk on."

"I - I'm just - he's not old enough yet to hear those stories, Mom." Jim shakes his head. "I'll tell him when he's older."

"As I recall," she begins in a no-nonsense voice, "a little boy Johnny's age would stay up until midnight listening to the same book over and over again. And that book was always the one about Treasure Planet." Her face and voice soften. "I worry about Johnny." Reaching out her hand she sets it over Jim's clenched fist that is resting on the table top. "I don't think it's a good idea for _both_ you and Rebecca to be gone as often as you are. I love watching him but - Jim, don't make the same mistake your father made."

Jim sucked in a breath and shut his eyes. She didn't understand. It was _because_ he didn't want to be like his father that he had been putting off telling John everything. In a level voice he says, "I am not doing what Dad did. I don't brush him off when I get home because I'm too tired. And I most certainly will never walk down a pier never to be seen or heard from again."

Sarah's hand lifts to brush the stubborn locks of hair out of his face before she lets her hand slide lovingly down to beneath his chin so she can turn his face toward her. Her eyes are wide and bright with unshed tears. "You are in the navy, Jim. It is a very distinct possibility that one day - God forbid - that you_ will_ walk onto a ship and never return. But you won't have a choice like your father." Standing, she presses a kiss to his forehead. "I'm going to bed now. I have to be up bright and early if I am going to have breakfast ready for my guests." Pausing at the base of the staircase, she turns to look at Jim who is still sitting and staring at anything but her. "Should I make blueberry pancakes for breakfast?"

Jim turns to look at her. He plasters on a smile. Blueberry pancakes are his and John's favorite. "Sure, Mom. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Jim." She goes up the stairs and disappears down the hallway that leads to her bedroom.

Jim sighs and buries his head in his hands. Morph looks up from his cookie crumbs and floats up to nuzzle against Jim's head. "Is she right, Morph? Am I making the same mistakes?" Morph licks Jim's hand and whimpers. "You're right. Let's go to bed." Standing from the table, Jim slowly makes his way toward the stairs. Going over everything his mother has said, Jim begins walking down the hallway reserved for his mother's room and the rooms she set aside for Jim, Becky, and Johnny. Jim stops outside of Johnny's bedroom door. He doesn't have to open it to know what's beyond the door. Johnny sleeps in an exact replica of the room Jim lived in growing up. Having the fatherly urge to go in and tuck in his six-year-old son, Jim turns the doorknob and looks in.

Beneath the covers, Jim can see the silhouette of a little boy reading a book. And the words coming from the book's pages are so familiar to Jim that he could quote them word-for-word before the narrator did. "Jonathan Flint Hawkins! Why are you still awake?"

The book snaps shut and the boy pops his head - black hair like his mother's that sticks up in all odd directions when messed up like Jim's did at that age - out from beneath the covers with a shocked look on his face. "Dad!"

Jim folds his arms over his chest and an eyebrow lifts. "Well? And where did you get that book?"

Looking away from his father, Johnny shrugs his shoulders. "Grandma and Uncle Delbert found it. Grandma said you had a copy just like it when you were my age so she gave it to me the last time I stayed here." Glancing sheepishly up at Jim, Johnny asks, "Did you _really_ have a book just like it?"

Jim stares at his son sitting cross-legged on the bed and is trying his best to look stern. Jim knows he ought to be scolding Johnny for being awake at this time of night reading a book - but those large, blue eyes are just too compelling. A smile quirks the edges of the man's lips and he sighs as he crosses the threshold of the room so he can sit on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, I did, Silver-boy." Wrapping one arm around Johnny's shoulder, Jim reaches for the book. "And I know that if I don't let you finish this chapter, then you won't go to bed." Looking Johnny right in the eyes, Jim asks, "If I read it with you, will you promise to go to bed when I say to?"

"Yes, Daddy!" Johnny promises.

"All right then." Jim smiles as he opens the book. It starts right where it left off.

_**. . . Flint and his band of renegades swooped in out of nowhere! **__A ship with a pirate flag approaches the merchant ship on the starboard side. Cannons erupt while pirates swing aboard the vessel. Chests and barrels are brought above deck while pirates demand the passengers discard their valuables. The figure of Captain Nathaniel Flint watches with delight as a chest is tipped over to reveal its glittering contents. _  
><em>He scoops up drabloons into his claws and laughs while the merchants cower in the background<em>

_. __**And then, gathering up their spoils - vanished without a trace.**_

Jim smiles as he and Johnny look at each other. Like Jim had done when he was a boy with his mother, Johnny and Jim simultaneously say, "Ooooh!" The page turns and the narrator continues.

_**Flint's secret trove was never found but stories have persisted that it remains hidden. **__A silhouette of a planet shrouded in star clusters and clouds rises from the pages. __**Somewhere at the farthest reaches of the galaxy, stowed with riches beyond imagination - the loot of a thousand worlds –**_

Along with Johnny and the narrator, Jim finishes the sentence, "Treasure Planet!" He shuts the book and stands up from where he had been sitting with his son. "Time for bed, Silver-boy." Shelving the book, he glances over his shoulder to see Johnny looking wistfully out the window where rain is still falling. Morph is hovering around my shoulders and sighs sadly.

"Someday, I'm gonna find it." Johnny announces.

"Find what, Silver-boy?" Jim asks as he walks back to the bed's edge and starts pulling the blankets out from beneath Johnny and adjusting the pillow. He smiles to himself at the use of Johnny's nickname. Only Jim called his son 'Silver-boy'. It was a father-son secret.

"Treasure Planet!" Johnny exclaims excitedly, falling back against the pillow. "I'll go on an expedition just like you do and I'll be the first to discover it!" Smiling excitedly up at Jim's astonished face, Johnny says, "You'll be proud of me when I find it too!"

Settling back down on the edge of the bed, Jim sighs. "You won't discover it, Johnny."  
>"I will too!" Johnny frowns, hurt and angry.<p>

Shaking his head, Jim says, "No, you won't. It's already been discovered - and it's not there anymore because it blew up. You remember how Uncle Delbert explained exploding planets and stars?"

"But the book says -"

"Johnny, that book is several years old. It doesn't know that Treasure Planet has been discovered." Jim interrupts and counters. Seeing the crestfallen expression on his son's face, Jim hastens to say, "But you don't have to discover a planet to make me proud of you. I'm proud of you every single day." Hugging Johnny close, Jim says - trying to keep the tears from choking him, "And if you do join the navy like your old dad, then I _know_ you'll rattle the stars."

"Really?" Johnny's six-year-old, scrawny arms wrap tightly around Jim's neck.

"Really." Jim answers before giving one more squeeze. "Now, time for bed." Standing up, the man walks over to the door and flips the light off. Turning to smile back at the black-haired boy snuggling beneath the blankets. "G'night, Silver-boy."

"Night, Dad." Johnny closes his eyes as Jim shuts the door.

With a sigh, Jim pats Morph on the head. "Come on. We should go to bed too." As Jim begins walking down the hall, he doesn't notice Morph look at Johnny's bedroom door with a nervous and uncertain expression - or that Morph slips beneath the crack in the door.

Jim enters the room he and Becky have set aside for their visits quietly. Tiptoeing in and making sure the door doesn't so much as click when he closes, he sighs with relief when his sleeping wife doesn't stir. Making a slow progression to her side of the bed, Jim reaches out a hand to brush the strands of wavy, black hair away from her face before he bends to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. Becky smiles and sighs in her sleep, but doesn't stir.

Making his way to the unoccupied side, Jim sits down and begins tugging off his boots. Wearily and mechanically, he begins unbuttoning his crisp, blue navy uniform coat. A task he has performed so many times he knows exactly how many gold painted buttons are on coat. Standing with a groan, Jim shuffles toward the wardrobe in their bedroom to hang up the coat. His eyes fall on his traveling chest and he quietly unsnaps the stays so he can raise the lid and reach in for a pair of pants and a simple shirt.

Collapsing once again back onto the bed, Jim turns to face his wife. Spooning around her, he smiles with contented pleasure and shuts his eyes. Breathing evening out - taking his time to fall asleep - Jim is ignorant of the fact that Morph has managed to open the door so he can come flying into the room. The pink blob instantly drops a metallic, complicated disc onto the bed before flying full speed into Jim's face.

"Ah! Morph!" The man whispers angrily so as not to wake anyone. Extracting himself from his wife and sitting up in bed, Jim pries Morph from his face - trying to silence the blob's incessant chirping and clicking. "_Morph_! What's the matter with you?" Squirming free from Jim's fingers, Morph darts down to the edge of the bed to retrieve the disc. Once again, the blob drops it - but this time into Jim's empty lap. Glancing from the disc then up at a frantic Morph, Jim's eyebrow raises skeptically. "You woke me up because of a letter disc?"

Rolling his eyes, Morph trembles before twirling and transforming into a miniature John Silver. "Ship out wid us!" Morph says in his high-pitch voice. Another twist and Morph is the roof outside of Johnny's window and the disc being set carefully on the window sill.

Blue eyes widening, Jim snatches up the disc. "Silver?" Glancing nervously at his still sleeping wife, Jim scrambles from bed and practically runs down the hallway. In the main dining room, he searches frantically for a place he knows he won't be disturbed. Cursing his haste under his breath, Jim runs back up the stairs to grab his boots and a leather jacket from his trunk. He hurries back down the stairs, tugging his jacket on, and makes a beeline for the kitchen. Not stopping there, Jim throws open a back door and hurries out to a large shed just beyond a very drenched looking garden.

Jim fumbles with the combination lock on the shed door but finally manages to get the correct numbers in. Morph darts in the crack of the door right before the man shuts it again. More fumbling around occurs until Jim has found the light switch. Jim blinks several times until his eyes have adjusted to the light. Ignoring the solar surfer, tool and work bench, and every other gizmo that had accumulated in the shed, Jim hurries over to a stool and with shaky hands sets the disc down on the wooden surface of his work table.

Morph stares at Jim, who is staring uncertainly at the disc. "Why would he contact now?" Jim questions aloud. "What could this mean? I - I don't know -" He trails off and takes a deep breath. "Here goes." Finding a blinking, purple button, Jim presses it. A blue, holographic image of John Silver pops up.

"Is da blasted ting working?" Silver grouses. Jim gives a short, strangled laugh. "Well, I tink it is - um - Hello, Jimbo. Or should I call ya Captain Hawkins now? Anyways, how ya been, lad?" Jim opened his mouth to reply but stopped himself. This was only a hologram. It couldn't reply. "Me," Silver continues, "I been all over da place. No ties to anyone! Dat's me." Jim watches curiously as Silver shifts as if uncomfortable. "Oh, da stories I could tell ya, lad! Ha. Remember dat time on the _Legacy_ -" and Silver is off on a long strand of reminiscing. Occasionally, even though Silver wasn't there to hear it, Jim would add in his own commentary. The long monologue Silver was having spiraled from there. Jim laughed, cried, and just smiled - glad to hear the old cyborg's voice.

"Well, I s'pose I should get to da point now. Instead of yakin' yer ear off. Ha. Dat's da problem wid old age. Ya just keep rablin'." Holographic Silver sighs. "Old age. T'ought it 'ould never catch up ta me. I tink most men who love da Etherium tink dat." Shaking his head, Silver says, "Well - Jimbo - remember how I asked ya ta ship out wid me - well _us_ since Morphy was with me. How is Morph? Anyway - and remember how I said it would be Silver and Hawkins. Full of ourselves and no ties to anyone! Ha ha. Hmm." Jim holds his breath - although he's not sure why. "Jimbo, I always envisioned meself dying in two ways. One, I'd be fighten to stay a pirate onboard a ship somewhere. I'd die wid honor and be da last one standin'. De o'der way - just floatin' peacefully across the Etherium. Wid da stars I love above me, below me, and all around me. Well, I've just found out - I ain't got much longer ta live. Me hearts givin' out." Jim lets out his pent up breath in a gasp as if he'd been punched in the gut. "I t'ought I'd just go and die peacefully and no one 'ould be da wiser. Den I t'ought of you, lad." Lifting his cyborg arm up to rub his neck, Silver shakes his head. "I do have ties to ya. And I felt bad fer not trying to let ya know how I was doin' more often. And I know you'd 'ave al'ays wondered where I was and what 'ad 'appened to me. So - dat's why I'm leaven' this fer ya ta find."

Jim jumps up from the bench and runs over toward a large box shaped mechanical thing. He flips levers and presses buttons. "I'm not letting you die out in the Etherium alone, you crazy old cyborg." the man hisses under his breath.

"I guess dis is it, lad. I've run out a space on dis contraption. Well - goodbye, Jimbo." Silver's holograph winks out and reads off the date, time, and coordinates for where and when the disc recorded the message. Jim listens intently to the information as he punches numbers into the machine.

Morph squeaks worriedly but Jim just shakes his head. "I've been trying for years to find him, Morph. I'm so close! So close and I'm about to lose him."

~**Etherium**~

Space. The heavens. Stars and planets are said to sing as they move in their courses. To float in an endless night - seeing the brilliant display of Creation - must be an eye opening and incredible experience. What thoughts crossed the first space pioneer's mind? What did they think when they sat looking out a porthole at the endless night and stars?

Probably nothing at all. Yet sometime - eventually - they thought the same thoughts that Silver was thinking now. _I wish I could share this with someone else_. Silver lay down in the bottom of his boat, in an attempt to get comfortable and find a position where it wasn't hard to breath. Staring up at the expanse of space above him, he smiled. "I did share it though." he whispered to himself, blinking lazily. "I shared it wid Jimbo."

Like any spacer, Silver had shut out the humming and whirring of the boat's engine. Completely ignored it. So it was no surprise that he did not notice the sound of another engine coming straight in his direction - and coming away from the planet he had tried to leave behind only a few hours ago. Silver did not notice anything out of the ordinary. Not until he heard a voice calling his name.

"Silver!" The Ursid struggled to sit up and once he had propped himself up, his cyborg eye focused on a solar surfer. Eyes widened as recognition dawned on him.

"Jimbo." Silver watched in shock as the young man flew up alongside the dinghy, hovering for a few seconds before Jim jumped into the boat. With a line of sturdy rope, Jim bends down to tie the solar surfer securely to the boat. Silver chuckles at the sight of the knot. "Couldna do it better meself." When Jim - a much older version than the boy that Silver remembered - turned to look at the Ursid, Silver's smile fell. "What ya doin' here, Jimbo? Howdya find me?"

"What am I doing here? Damnit, Silver! What did you expect me to do when I found that message?" Jim ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "As for how I found you - well, let's just say I'm a genius with technology and leave it at that." Raising tear filled blue eyes up to Silver's face, Jim said, "Dying? You're dying?"

Silver lowered his own gaze, not wanting to see the pain in Jim's face. "Jimbo -" Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a squealing mass of pink that came flying out of Jim's pocket. "Morph? Morphy!" Silver laughed as the blob purred and chattered, rubbing his cheek against the familiar creature.

Wiping his eyes with his hand, Jim cleared his throat. "Couldn't leave without him. You wanted to know how he was doing."

"Thank ye, lad." Silver smiled gratefully up at Jim. They stared at each other in awkward silence for several minutes. Silver was the first to look away, searching for something. "Why don't ya sit yerself down?" Jim does as told, folding his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. With a nod of his head, the cyborg sighed. "To yer question, aye. I'm dying."

Jim takes a deep breath to steady himself. "When did you find this out?"

"A few days ago." Silver answers.

"Did you get a second opinion?" Those blue eyes look up hopefully. "Are you a hundred percent sure?"

"I wouldn't doubt this particular doctor, Jimbo. He's been right 'bout a number o' tings." Silver lifted his hand to rub Morphs head. "Besides, lad, a man knows when it's his time. I've cheated death many times. Time ta pay my due."

"Why here?" Jim raised an arm to gesture to the space around them.

Silver tilts his head back to smile up at the Etherium. "It's in me blood, lad. I couldn't tink of beein' any place else."

"I'm sure there's something I could do. A doctor I could find - some medicine - something!" Jim protests, almost frantically.

Silver levels a sad gaze on the young man. "I don't want dat, lad." Waving his cyborg hand, the Ursid clears his throat. "Le's not talk 'bout it anymore. What of you? Really, Jimbo, how'd ya find me so quick?"

Clasping his hands again, Jim looked away. "I - um - I used the coordinates, time, and date from the disc. And the navigational system that I built in my tool shed at the Benbow. I figured you'd go as far away as fast as you could from Montressor and any other planet. Used my new prototype for my solar surfer to get here."

"Anybody know you left?" Silver inquires, leaning back to get comfortable - careful to make sure Jim and Morph don't notice that he is having a hard time breathing.

Jim shakes his head. "I didn't tell anyone. Everyone was asleep." With a chuckle, the young man shakes his head again. "Becky could sleep through a super nova. And that's not an exaggeration."

"Becky?"

"My wife." Jim answers the unspoken question. "Ambassador Rebecca Dao Stevenson - well _Hawkins_ now."

"Read about your engagement to her in a newspaper." Silver states with a smile. "How'd ya meet?"

Jim laughs. "I was the captain of the ship that was transporting her. She drove me crazy most of the time. To retaliate I called her Becky. What the general public doesn't know is that Becky was kidnapped and I guess you could say I came to her rescue." Smiling and rubbing the back of his neck, he admits, "It's a complicated and long story."

"You had a son. Newspapers said dat too." Silver pressed, wishing he had caught up with Jim years ago. Sad that he didn't have time to hear everything that had happened to the lad from his own lips.

"Yeah. John." Jim smiles at Silver's confusion. "Jonathan Flint Hawkins. John or Johnny for short." Looking down at his hands, Jim says, "Named him after two people who were influential in my life."

"You named 'im after two pirates?" Silver asks in disbelief.

"His first name is a great man." Jim counters, looking Silver in the eye. "As for his middle name, if it hadn't been for the loot of a thousand worlds - I'd never have met that great man." Jim grins. "I call him Silver-boy when it's just the two of us."

Silver chuckles, looking at Jim fondly. "Tell me about the lad. Is he like you?"

"In personality. And mostly in looks but his hair is black like Becky's." Jim answers.

"I hope he gives ya a hard time like ya did me." The cyborg laughs.

Jim rolls his eyes. "He already does. I'm constantly worried he'll stow away on one of my vessels." Looking away again, he sighs. "I'm worried that one day I'll turn around and find Johnny has runaway because he thinks life on the Etherium is a fairytale."

Silver watches the young man before him closely. "Why'd he tink that, lad?"

"Because - I haven't told him the truth." Jim answers.

"Why not?"

"I never did any of this for the recognition of the world or the universe!" Jim exclaims. "I never joined the Naval Academy because Amelia said they needed me. I didn't go fight in a war to earn medals or the title of 'hero'. I don't want people looking at me wherever I go whispering about me. I don't want my son thinking I'm this legend. I'm just a regular man."

Silver frowns. "Why did you do it then, regular-man-Jim-Hawkins?"

Jim looks up at Silver. "Because I wanted to rattle the stars for you." Looking away again, he adds, "Because I wanted to prove to myself that I could be something more than the local delinquent."

Reaching forward, Silver placed his hands on Jim's shoulders like he had done years ago when this man had been a sixteen year old boy. "You listen to me, James Hawkins. What did I say to you those years ago? Don't tell me ya don't remember."

"I have the makings of greatness."

"And?" Silver presses, shaking Jim's shoulders a little.

"To stick to the charts no matter the squalls." Jim's lips tug up at the corners.

"And ye've done that. You've been shinning like a solar fire. You_ have_ become a legend, Jimbo. There's noting to be ashamed of. You're not afraid your son sees ya as a legend. Ye're worried he'll see you as a regular man - like when ya saw yer own pap for what he was." Silver shook his head with a wry smile. "Let me tell ya, that you're not a regular man. I told ya - yer somethin' special." Settling back again, the Ursid takes some gasping breaths. "Johnny isn't ever going to see you as anyting then what ya are. Especially if he's like you, Jimbo." Silver winces and with one hand, grasps his shirt.

"Silver!" Jim lurched forward to catch the cyborg as he tumbles forward. With some effort, the young man turns Silver on his back and tugs him toward himself so Silver's head is in Jim's lap. "Don't you dare leave me!"

"Ah, lad." Silver sighs before wincing again. "Ya know it woulda come up sooner ra'der den later."

Tears sting Jim's eyes. "I've spent so many years tracking your movement, trying to find you - now that we've met up again - you're leaving."

"Life's full of hellos and goodbyes, Jimbo." The Ursid smiled sadly. Eyes focusing on the worried, frightened, and sad pink blog floating near his head, Silver reaches a finger up to rub Morph. "Morphy, I've got a job for ya. Keep an eye on Jimbo's pup. Will ya do me that little favor?"

Morph salutes tearfully, "Aye-aye, Captain."

"There's a good Morphy." The cyborg blinks several times before lifting his gaze to look up at Jim, who is letting the tears run freely down his face. "Jimbo, I've got a favor to ask of ye too."

"Anything, Silver." Jim agrees.

"Tell that boy o' yours 'bout me." Silver grimaces before continuing. "And take him on dat ship of yours. Don't let 'im wish and wish that he could go out on an adventure wid his pap only to never have it 'appen. Can ya do dat?"

Nodding fiercely, Jim says, "Sure. I can do that."

"Good, lad." Silver sighs. "Good, lad." Shutting his eyes briefly, the Ursid forces his eyes open once more. A grin breaks out over his face. "Look at ya. Shinning like a solar fire. I tol' ya I'd want to be dere. Catching some of the light coming off ya that day." Eyes fluttered shut. "Catchin' that light. Aye. Rattlin' the stars. Thank ya, lad. Jimbo -"

A sob caught in Jim's throat. "Silver?" The Ursid's eyes didn't open again. The whirring of the gears began to slow. "Silver!" Wrapping his arms around the behemoth of a creature's neck, Jim cried. "I don't need your thanks, Silver. I'm the one who should be thanking _you_. I love you, Silver. Don't go." Jim waited to hear Silver chuckle. Waited to feel the weight of his hand on Jim's shoulder. Waited to hear, "It's all right, lad. It's all right." But none of those things happened. Silver was gone. A great man was gone.

~**Etherium**~

Jim stood in the center of the room, his whole body rigid. He was wearing his navy uniform and his stance was one of professionalism. Outside the large window of the room, he could see the rain still falling and the storm still raging. Just like it always did on Montressor. Thankfully, when Jim had had this mansion built, he had specified that his study be sound proofed. It was blissfully silent in this room when he needed to get work done.

Right now, the silence was oppressive while he waited. The blue light flickering up from his desk shone in the dim room - lighting up shelves of books, a family portrait, carpet, furniture.

The light flickered again just before a holographic image of Amelia Doppler - slightly showing her pregnancy - appeared. "Hawkins?" her voice sounded groggy and irritated with sleep. "There better be a good reason for you to wake me up at three in the morning."

"I'm calling in my favor, Admiral." He answers in a no-nonsense tone. Jim watches as his superior goes into instant navy mode.

"I see, Captain. Is this line secure enough for this discussion?" Her ears twitch back as if hearing someone behind her.

Jim nods. "Yes, Admiral."

With a twitch of her hand she says, "Then proceed with your request, Captain."

~**Etherium**~

The sun was shining - it was a rare day on Montressor - making the puddles reflect the burning miles and miles away. The rain droplets that clung to plant life and buildings sparkles in the rays as if they were gems. It was an all around magnificent day. A perfect day for a family visit.

Sarah sat in the parlor with Becky, talking about how things had been going at the inn. Both women looked up at the sound of pounding feet against wood flooring. Johnny came bursting into the room holding a model ship between his hands. "Mommy! Grandma Sarah! Lookit!"

"Why, that's your father's new ship!" Becky gasps in shock and joy. "Oh, Johnny, it's brilliant."

"You're such a smart boy." Sarah wraps the grinning boy in a hug.

"Where's Dad? I want to show him." Johnny looks at his mother eagerly.

A sad expression darkens her features. "Oh, sweetie - Daddy is at the graveside again."

Sarah looked up at this. "Why?"

Becky shakes her head. "I think it's because he's shipping out in a week. Jim's been - missing him."

"Why does Daddy go out to that man's grave so much?" Johnny asks curiously.

"Because that man was a dear friend of your father's." Becky answers. "And Daddy misses his friend very much." Looking out the window worriedly, she shakes her head. "I don't think now is a good time to show him your model, Johnny. Why don't you go play until tea time?"

Looking dejected, Johnny nods and exits the room. Once out of sight of his mother and grandmother, he stops in the hallway so he can stare at the boat in his hands. He remembers the day he and Mom came back to the house to find Dad busy making plans.

_For what?_ his mother had asked.

_Silver's funeral._ his father had answered. Silver. Not 'Silver-boy' so it hadn't been something for Johnny. Johnny had learned fairly quickly that a funeral was something people did for dead people. They had all gotten dressed up in black - Mommy, Daddy, Grandma Sarah, Uncle Delbert, Aunt Amelia, all the Doppler kids, even B.E.N. had worn a black bow-tie, and Morph had turned black. Morph hadn't left Johnny's side since.

Speaking of the blob, Morph pops out of Johnny's pocket to lick the boy's hand sympathetically. Looking at Morph, Johnny feels determination build up in him. "Come on, Morph." He was sick and tired of his dad being so sad all the time. Sad for a stranger. With boat held protectively beneath one arm, Johnny marched through the halls until he reached a pair of doors he knew would take him out to the garden. Without thought for a coat or permission to be wandering the grounds alone, Johnny sets off at a run for the hill he can see where a large square stone has been erected and beneath a twisting tree across from the stone is a bench where his father sits.

Johnny slows down when he is a few feet from the top of the hill. Jim doesn't see the boy because Johnny is approaching from behind the man. Taking a deep breath, Johnny steps around the tree and says, "Dad?"

With a jolt, Jim looks up from staring at the inscription on the stone before him to stare at his son. "Johnny! What are you doing here?"

"I - I came to show you my model ship." He lifts his hands up to emphasize his reason.

Jim stares at it for several minutes before a smile - a smile! - comes to his face. "You made my ship? After only seeing it once?" Johnny nods quickly. "That's incredible Silver-boy." The smile slips away. Scooting over, Jim pats the empty space beside him. "Since you're up here, come keep me company." Johnny walks slowly over to the bench and sits down.

Jim's head turns to stare sadly, once more at the monolith. Oblivious of his son's scrutiny of Jim's face. Morph hovers just above Johnny's shoulder, staring sadly at both humans. Johnny turns his attention to the stone. "Why did you have a funeral for him?"

Jim looks down at the boy as if he had just popped up out of nowhere again. "I - he was my friend."

"Where did you meet him?" Johnny looks up at Jim. Waiting.

"It's a long story." Jim answers. Johnny's face turns stormy. Whenever his dad gives that answer, it means he isn't going to tell. To Johnny's surprise, the next words his dad says are, "But I promised him I would tell you."

Johnny's eyes widen before he whips his head to stare in open-mouthed shock at the stone. This man had convinced his father to _tell_ a story about himself? The six-year-old quickly returns his focus to his father, hanging on each and every word Jim says.

Jim tells the story of Treasure Planet. The story of a teenage boy finding himself because of an Urisd, cyborg pirate. A story that seems too impossible to be true - but even against logic - Johnny accepts every word of it.

"You're named after him." Jim finishes by saying that. "And I call you Silver-boy. Because you're named after John Silver."

Tilting his head, Johnny says, "So - you named me after two pirates?"

Jim laughs. "Silver said the same thing. Yes and no. I chose the middle name Flint, because if it hadn't been for Nathaniel Flint, I never would have found that map or gone on the _RLS_ _Legacy_. I never would have met Silver. I never would have turned out to be the man I am today." Looking down at Johnny, he smiled, "I named you after Silver because he is a great man I admire. And I owe him everything in the universe."

The boy turns to look at the monolith again. "Do you think - I'll be a great man like him?"

In a serious voice, Jim answers. "No." Johnny's shoulders slump but Jim turns and places both hands on Johnny's shoulders so his son is facing him. Johnny keeps his head bowed so he can't look his father in the eyes. "But let me tell you something Jonathan Flint Hawkins - it's the same thing Silver told me and I believe this is true for you too. You've got the makings of greatness in you. But you've got to take the helm and chart your own course." Johnny lifts his head just enough to peer at his father through his curtain of bangs. Jim smiles fondly at his son. "So stick to it. No matter the squalls. And when the time comes you get the chance to _really_ test the cut of your sails and show what you're made of, well, I hope I'm there - catching some of the light coming off you that day." Grinning at his son, Jim concludes, "I don't think you'll be a great man. I _know_ you'll be a great man."

Johnny latches onto his father, hugging him fiercely. Jim quickly returns the hug, rocking slightly like he would if Johnny were scared or sad. Out of the corner of his eye, Jim looked at the monolith once more. "Johnny, how would you like to come with me on an expedition?"

"Really? You mean it?" Johnny pulled back to stare eagerly up at his dad.

"Well, I need to talk to your mother about it but - yes. I mean it." Jim nods.

Johnny whoops in delight and gives his dad another hug. "Wait till I tell my friends! And Uncle Delbert and Aunt Amelia! And -"

"You can tell them _after_ I get the okay from your mom." Jim laughs. "Now head on back to the house and clean up for tea, Silver-boy."

Johnny jumps up from the bench and starts hurrying down with Morph trailing along. Stopping suddenly, Johnny turns to look at his dad who is still sitting on the bench. "Aren't you coming, Dad?"

"I'll be down in a few minutes." Jim promises with a wave of his hand. He watches as his son tears down the hill and towards the mansion. With a smile, Jim stands and walks up to the stone. Running a hand over the inscription he says, "What do you think, Silver? I think he's going to burn up the universe with his energy." With one last pat of the hand on the stone, Jim turns to follow after his son.

As the sun began to set, it stretched its rays to bath the monolith in light. The golden beams shown like a spotlight on the inscription, carved deep in the stone so it would last a lifetime and then some.

_John Silver_

_Fearless Spaceman_

_Caring Friend_

_Loving Father_

_A Great Man_

_**~**The End**~**  
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